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My group is looking to start this game and while I'm apprehensive as they tend to start "new" games to quickly toss them aside, I'm willing to throw $100 at it.

Problem is I don't have any real idea where to start. I've nailed by preference for armies down to the following.

PanO - Millitant Orders.
Nomad
Yu Jing - Imperial
Ariadna

I do have to say the religion angle of most of these factions throws me off. Of course the one "non" religion related one...I'm not a fan of the whole werewolf thing.

Does anyone have suggestions for these four about where the $100 would get the best bang for the buck out of it?

I don't see how the Imperial service and Nomads have a religious angle.

You can't really go wrong with any of the starter packs. Most are decently balanced against eachother. The only exception is the ALEPH starter pack, which is a little strong compared to the others.

Religion has a place in the game primarily because one of the big 'discoveries' in Infinity is the concept of uploading your consciousness into a "cube" and being able to insert it into a new body if you have the money and/or power. Thus, many religions were forced to adapt to this new form of immortality. Flavorfully, it's all 100% technological.

Imperial Service still has a bit of a religious focus in their Emperor. The Emperor is in a strange place because they have the power to decide who is resurrected, but they are completely forbidden from using that power on themselves. The Emperors die and get replaced, but their best servants/soldiers/thinkers are resurrected.

Nomads still have a bit of paganistic and warped Christian influence. There are some like the Reverands and the Observants that see ALEPH as almost a literal manifestation of Satan or the Antichrist. As a result, the Reverands fight in cyberwarfare via hackers and the such. They see it as their God-given duty. The Sin-Eater Observants also fill the role of being a divine savior of sorts to purge demons and the demonically affected. They also fight against the devil, ALEPH.

PanO is classic Christian and Catholic.
ALEPH follows a bit of Hinduism with their resurrection motif.
Haqqislam is obviously Islamic.

Ariadna's religion isn't athetism, but they don't have a strong religious affiliation.

Tohaa and Combined Army are alien and have their own beliefs.

Religion fits exceptionally well with the world. It's a believable adaptation of how humans would act in the future. Not everyone is religious, however. The Aleph Greeks are into nontheistic value of heroism. Bakunin Nomads are sexual deviants and immoral hedonists. The Japanese hold no/little regard for the Emperor.

I like to think my Kazaks and French (and soon to be Highlanders) have no religion. While i don't have a problem with religion, its just not for me (or my models :p)

Imperial Service doesn't really, but Nomads certainly has that vibe, with the Nuns with Guns.

And thanks for the background on why it is there. Not a fan, but it is good to know why that aspect is there.

And I would defiantely start with the starter pack for the force I go with, I'm just looking and what is needed after that starter pack for any of them with the idea of staying around $100.

Really just go with what you like the looks of best. There are not any one must have model for any single faction. Even the "sub-optimal" models perform well.

That said, I got the Mirage-5 team followed by the MRRF starter. Mirage-5 is a bit high-cost points-wise, and I don't usually have the orders to support them with the few models that I have, but I'm lucky, since the group I play with has MRRF models to spare, so I'm usually borrowing someone's zouaves and loups .

So, I'd stay away from models which require a large amount of orders to use effectively, such as TAGS, Werewolves or AD troops.

Everything else will work just fine.

Bakunin Starter - $38.99 http://www.thewarstore.com/product56693.html
Riot Grrls Box - $29.99 http://www.thewarstore.com/product80966.html
Riot Grrl w/ Spitfire - $10.99 http://www.thewarstore.com/product74092.html
Prowler w/ Spitfire - $9.99 http://www.thewarstore.com/product59387.html

Total Cost - $89.96


Nomads - Bakunin Jurisdictional Commando | 10 models
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Sin-Eater Mk12 (29|0)
Riot Grrl Spitfire (36|2)
Riot Grrl Multi (37|0)
Riot Grrl Combi (31|0)
Riot Grrl Combi (31|0)
Riot Grrl Shotgun (29|0)
Prowler Spitfire (37|2)
Zero Observer (21|0)
Reverend Moira Lieutenant (38|1)
Moderator Combi (9|0)
________________________________________________________

298/300 points | 5/6 swc
open with Aleph Toolbox : direct link

This also has 2 more moderators that weren't used in this 300 pt list.

Pretty much any starter box and 2-3 blisters will get you around the price you want.